


Time Of Our Life

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jungwoo disappears without another word, and Lucas finds himself letting go of the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He tries to mentally prepare himself so that he doesn't pass out when Jungwoo comes back, but has little luck with getting his heart to slow down. Who knew that the cute boy on the soccer team would end up being the death of him.
Relationships: Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Time Of Our Life

* * *

The first time they meet is at a party. Lucas doesn't remember who's party it is or why he even decided to go. He has an algebra 2 exam first thing the next morning, but he tells himself that hungover Lucas is a problem for tomorrow Lucas, mainly because present Lucas doesn't want to think about it. By the time he stumbles outside for a breath of fresh air, he's already heavily intoxicated with god knows what. He knows that he should go back and inside and ask someone for a ride home, but he gets distracted, as drunk people so easily tend to do. There's a boy sitting cross legged at the edge of the pool, sitting so still that he has to double take just to be sure he isn't part of the decor. For no reason in particular, this strikes his interest, and he suddenly wants nothing more than to join him.

"Hi," Lucas says, feeling a little defeated when the boy doesn't acknowledge him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Too loud in there," the boy replies. "I'm not really a party person."

"Then why'd you come?"

"I was dragged."

"Oh." Lucas doesn't know what to say to that. "Can I sit with you?"

"Would you go away if I said no?"

"Probably not."

"Then yeah, sure. Why not."

Lucas hunkers down, feeling proud of himself for not falling over despite being extremely dizzy from having too much to drink. The boy doesn't say anything. He just stares into the water as if he were expecting something to jump out and bite him, and Lucas takes this time to try and get a better look at him. His light brown hair is parted down the middle, a little longer in the front than it is in the back, and his dark brown eyes are what Lucas can only describe as 'doe eyes'. They're big and beautiful, albeit a little sad looking, as if he were dealing with some sort of inner turmoil, and his lips are the type of plump that he immediately renders as kissable. He's cute in an innocent type of way, the total opposite of himself, who may or may not spend too much of his time working out.

"What's your name?"

"Jungwoo."

The boy doesn't ask for Lucas', but he supplies it anyway. "Mine is Lucas."

Days go by, and Lucas gets irrationally excited upon seeing Jungwoo for the first time since the party.

"I didn't know you played soccer," he says, slightly out of breath as he makes a mad dash to catch up with Jungwoo. "I never would have pegged you for the sporty type."

"Everyone says that," Jungwoo laughs, taking note of Lucas' dirty football uniform as they walk. "You on the other hand...yeah, you look like you'd play football."

"I just like sports in general. Where ya headed?"

"Home. I live a few blocks that way."

"Hey, me too! Can I walk with you?"

"Yeah, okay. Sure."

The next time they meet is by accident. Jungwoo forgot his duffel bag in the locker room and runs chest first into Lucas in his haste to make it before his coach locked up for the day. It's like running into a brick wall and Jungwoo can't help but yell out in pain.

" _Christ, Lucas!_ What the _hell_ does your mom feed you?"

"Aah, Jungwoo! I'm so sorry!" Lucas exclaims, waving his hands in front of him with wide eyes. "I should have looked before I turned the corner. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, it's fine. _I'm_ fine. It was my fault for running." Jungwoo gives Lucas a friendly smile before he remembers his earlier panic, and tenses up at the thought of being locked out. "I have to run to the locker room really fast, but did you maybe wanna...?"

Lucas doesn't understand what Jungwoo asking at first, but recognition soon clicks when he remembers that they both walk home in the same direction. "Oh, um, yeah. Did you want me to come with you, or--"

Jungwoo shakes his head. "I'll be quick. Just wait here."

"How old are you?"

"I turned seventeen in February, so last month."

"Oh." That means Lucas is a year younger. "I turned sixteen in January. Do you graduate this year?"

"Yeah. Three more months and I'm finally free. Are you a sophomore or a junior?"

"A junior."

"Oh. You seem older."

"Not really. I'm just big is all."

"Yeah, that's probably what it is."

Walking home together had become routine at this point. Two weeks had passed since they (quite literally) ran into each other, and Lucas decided that he was going to start making a conscious effort to wait for Jungwoo at that exact corner everyday after practice from then on.

"We're playing Joongdong tomorrow," he says. "Is it dumb that I'm nervous?"

"No, I don't think it's dumb," Jungwoo replies thoughtfully. "They're our rival school. I get nervous when we play against them, too."

The thought of Jungwoo getting nervous makes Lucas feel a little less anxious. "Are you gonna go, hyung?" 

"Do you want me to go?"

"Maybe."

Jungwoo looks up from his lunch and sees one of Lucas' friends, Mark or Donghyuck, or whatever his name is, pull him in close to whisper something in his ear, causing Lucas to double over with laughter. For some reason Jungwoo can't explain, this bothers him. He gathers his belongings and heads to class early, telling himself over and over that he has no say in who Lucas chooses to hang out with. A handsome guy like that is bound to attract handsome people, as already proven by the circle of friends surrounding him, and Jungwoo finds himself wishing that he were better looking.

"Are you even listening to me, hyung? Earth to Jungwoo."

"What?" Jungwoo blinks, reality quickly setting in as Lucas grabs his shoulder in an attempt to shake him back to life. "Oh. Sorry. I'm just...stressing out over stupid stuff. What were you saying?"

"I was asking if you wanted to go to the playground."

"Aren't we too old for playgrounds?"

Lucas rolls his eyes before taking Jungwoo by the hand and leading him away from the sidewalk and toward the park in the distance. "This is why you're stressed out, hyung."

"Because I don't go to playgrounds?"

"No, because you're too uptight." Lucas drops Jungwoo's hand as he turns to face him with worried, yet affectionate eyes. "You've been stressing over your math grade for, like, two weeks now. Forget about all that school stuff and come be a kid for once."

"But we're not kids," Jungwoo says adamantly. He hopes Lucas doesn't notice the blush creeping up his neck and face, or that he's at least generous enough to ignore it. He's not ready to address the ball of nervous tension that wells up in his stomach whenever Lucas touches him. "We're practically adults already."

"Don't say that. One day you really _are_ gonna be an adult and you're gonna regret not taking better advantage of your teenage years."

"Okay, _okay_ , I get it. I'm too much of a tightwad and I need to relax." Jungwoo eyes the playground warily, unable to stop himself from wondering what all of these parents are gonna think with two six foot teenagers parading all over the place. "If you really wanna get me to do something, I'll let you push me on the swings. There are too many kids around and I wouldn't put it past one of these moms to call the cops if we start doing weird stuff."

The sun is hot on their backs when they finally make it to Lucas' house. Saturdays were typically his least favorite day of the week, but since meeting Jungwoo, they were getting easier and easier for Lucas to appreciate. "Let's go swimming, hyung. It's too hot to be inside, but it's too hot to do anything outside either."

"I don't have swim shorts, though."

"That's why I'm gonna let you borrow a pair."

The house is empty when they walk inside, something Lucas is already used to. His mom works long hours, even on the weekends, and his older brother stays with his girlfriend every Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday. His dad isn't in the picture, but Jungwoo already knows that, so he doesn't ask. "No wonder you hate Saturdays. You could probably hear a pin drop in here, it's so quiet."

"You can. I tested it." Lucas takes his shoes off at the door and Jungwoo does the same, Lucas leading the way upstairs and into his bedroom. "I didn't have time to clean before meeting up with you this morning, so sorry if things are a mess."

"Don't worry about it," Jungwoo replies. He swallows hard, as if that would somehow squash down his nerves into something lesser and more compact, but it doesn't work. He'd never been alone with a boy in their house before, let alone someone like Lucas. "You saw my room this morning. I don't think it can get worse than that."

"Yeah, but you share a room with your kid sister. Your mess is a different kind of mess."

Jungwoo doesn't say anything and tries not to cringe at the memory. His five-year-old sister had taken an immediate liking to Lucas, meaning that the two of them spent the majority of their morning playing tea party in the middle of their shared bedroom. She cried when they left, a promise from Lucas saying he'd be back soon being the only thing to ease her into complacency. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I didn't expect Junghwa to get so attached to you. She's never done that with any of my other friends."

"Don't apologize, hyung. She's adorable and I enjoyed every second of our tea party in Paris."

"What's funny is that she doesn't even know what Paris is. She just heard it on TV once and insists that everything be in Paris now."

Lucas doesn't say anything as he begins to rummage through his dresser, eventually victorious in finding a second pair of swim shorts, as promised. "You can change in here or in the bathroom. I really don't care. Not like we don't get naked in front of a dozen other guys everyday of our lives."

Jungwoo knows that he has a point, but changing in front of the soccer team is _way_ different than doing it in front of Lucas. He doesn't care what the soccer team thinks of him, and really, he shouldn't care about what Lucas thinks either, but it's something he just can't bring himself shake. "I actually kind of have to pee. Where's your bathroom?"

"To the left, two doors down on the right side."

Jungwoo disappears without another word, and Lucas finds himself letting go of the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He was trying to be nonchalant when it came to not making a big deal out of changing, but is secretly glad that Jungwoo opted for the bathroom option. Lucas isn't sure if he's ready to see him like that just yet, and does his best not to think about it. Seeing Jungwoo without a shirt is something Lucas is already struggling to cope with, and he hasn't even actually seen him yet. He tries to mentally prepare himself so that he doesn't pass out when Jungwoo comes back, but has little luck with getting his heart to slow down. Who knew that the cute boy on the soccer team would end up being the death of him.

Relaxing on a rooftop with Lucas sounded cliché and like something out of a bad rom-com, but it was exactly where Jungwoo found himself.

"Hey hyung," Lucas says, not taking his gaze off of the sky. The breeze is chilly despite the hot temperature earlier in the day, and Jungwoo shudders. Whether it be from the breeze or the affectionate way Lucas says his name, he doesn't know. "Are you planning on going to college?"

"Yeah." Their hands are nearly touching, their fingertips just mere centimeters apart, and Jungwoo debates whether he wants to close the gap or not. "Community college, though. Nothing fancy. Junghwa would have a fit if I left home."

 _I would have a fit if you left home_. "Oh. Well, that's good. Community college isn't anything lesser than uni."

"Thanks, but I know you're just trying to make me feel better." So close. Even just the slightest movement would be enough. "I don't mind, though. I'm still gonna get my degree either way."

"No, really, hyung. I mean it." Lucas rolls over onto his side, making it a point not to move his hand from where it lays next to Jungwoo's. "Plenty of people graduate from community college and still end up doing amazing things. It doesn't matter where your education comes from as long as you have the ambition to get it."

Jungwoo doesn't say anything, for fear that he might lose it. He has his reasons for deciding against university, but nobody had ever bothered to validate them in the way Lucas just had. He brushes his fingertips lightly across Lucas', his breath slightly hitching at the notable size difference. He knew that Lucas' hands were big--it isn't a difficult thing to miss--but this is his first time noticing how slender and dainty his are in comparison. "How are you even real?"

"I should be asking you the same thing."

"You're gonna do great."

"Lucas, _no_ , I'm gonna throw up."

"So what? Go throw up. That doesn't change the fact that you're gonna ace these exams."

"But how do you--"

"Because I've been helping you study for the last week and a half." Lucas takes Jungwoo's hand in his and brings it up to his lips, kissing his knuckles before gently cradling his cheek in his palm. "Stop worrying, okay, hyung? You've got this."

It takes all of Jungwoo's strength not to melt right then and there. He needed his brain to actually function today, and he couldn't do that if Lucas turned it to mush before the test even started. "You'll be here when I finish?"

"Before you finish," Lucas corrects with a smile. "I'll be right outside that door."

"Junghwa, stop. You can't sleep with Lucas."

"But why not?" The five-year-old looks like she's on the verge of tears, and Jungwoo does his best to keep his composure when Lucas starts to panic. "He's my Lucas."

"Yeah, I know he's your Lucas," Jungwoo tries to sympathize. "But your Lucas has to sleep on the couch because...because...Lucas, help me out here."

Lucas pries Junghwa's tiny hand away from his shirt and gets down onto his knees so that they're at eye level with each other. "There's not enough room for me to sleep in your bed, babygirl. You are a very small human being and as much as I adore your Barbie bed, I'm just too big."

"I sleeps on--I sleep on the couch with you then," Junghwa sniffs, not letting go of Lucas' hand. "Will you turn the couch into a bed, Jungwoo?"

Jungwoo suppresses a groan and has to take a moment to figure things out. His parents didn't care if Lucas stayed the night so long as he slept on the couch because, you know, rules and stuff, but there's no way he would be able to explain the 'open door policy' in terms a five-year-old could understand. "Let me see what mom and dad have to say about it, okay, kiddo? I don't know if they'll let us...uh...turn the couch into a bed or not." He isn't sure if his parents'll go for it, but it's worth a shot. The living room is in the center of the house, so it's not like they could do anything even without Junghwa being there.

By the time he returns, he finds Lucas in the process of teaching Junghwa how to play patty cake. The image makes his heart melt a little, seeing how gentle his giant of a boyfriend is being with his tiny human of a sister.

"What'd they say?" Lucas asks when he notices Jungwoo standing in the doorway. "You're smiling, so I'm assuming you got good news?"

"Yep, they said we could--"

Junghwa lets out a high pitched scream before Jungwoo even finishes his sentence. "Yaaaaay! Come on, Lucas. Let's go get our blankies and pillows."

"Glad to know I'm chopped liver," Jungwoo muses as he watches his sister drag Lucas down the hall. "Don't forget your nightlight! It gets dark in the living room."

"Okaaaay!"

Jungwoo shakes his head and tosses the couch cushions onto the ground, lifting the hideaway bed out from inside of the couch. It smells stale from not being used in a while, so he sprays a little bit of Febreeze onto the sheets to make it smell fresher. He and Lucas planned on playing Cards Against Humanity after Junghwa went to sleep for the night, but he has to admit that the change of plans has him excited. Junghwa still needs to go to bed within the next hour, but watching a movie and cuddling up with his two favorite people sounds like the most amazing thing in the world.

Lucas finds himself staring at Jungwoo's lips as he talks, taking note of the way they begin to curl at the edges when he's excited about something. They'd been dating since mid April and were coming up on June in a just few days, and they _still_ had yet to share a kiss. It sounded ridiculous considering Jungwoo's lips were one of the first things Lucas noticed about him on that fateful night at the party, but he just couldn't do it. Every time the opportunity arose, he'd freeze up and his brain would fizzle out like a campfire after rain.

"--and I was thinking about just being traditional and wearing black, but I'm not really sure if--"

Without giving it a second thought, Lucas leans forward and kisses him, severing Jungwoo's train of thought completely.

" _What the--you just--I--what?_ "

"Sorry hyung," Lucas laughs, his cheeks turning a deep shade of pink. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to do that before I chickened out again."

Jungwoo takes a moment to compose himself, not really succeeding but not all there enough to care. "You kept me waiting over a month for that. Do it again."

The sight of Lucas cheering as Jungwoo walks across the stage is enough to make him want to cry. He’s jumping up and down with Junghwa on his shoulders, his mom’s hand in his while the other holds onto Junghwa’s leg to prevent her from falling. Maybe community college won’t be so bad, Jungwoo decides. After all, staying home means getting to stay with Lucas.


End file.
